The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-08
BILL NYE ON HIS TRAVELS.
A Lack of Free Passes Makes Trouble for
Sleeping Car and Eating House People.

A Lack of Free Passes Makes Trouble for
sleepinc-Car and EatiD g-House People.
New York World.
Fewer people seem to be travelling for the de-
lirious joy of travelling this year than ever be-
fore In the history of the country. Eating
houses, dining-cars, sleeping-cars and hotels
seem TO suffer most A few days ago / had the
pleasure of riding from St Paul 20 Chicago, and
from Chicago to New York over one of the
most fluent railway lines in each instance.
and | could not shut my eyes to the
fact that the new interstate-comm law has
made a difference. From Cleveland to Buffalo l
rode in a special car. 1t was the special sleep
ing-car Aberdeen, occupied by myself and suite.
l had conductor. porter and brakeman to
do my bidding and the whole mine,
mine alone. 1t was pleasant at first but finally
il seemed lonely, so | called the porter and
engaged him in conversation He said it had
been that way good deal during the
month of April One day. he said that he and
spotter sat and glared at each other all the way
from Elkhart. Ind. to Syracuse. N. Y. He told
me that II was time for memory and for tears
Sleeping cars, he stated. have been for years the
hot-bed of the annual pass 1t is for that reason
that sleeper after sleeper is being side-tracked.
He was a bright, intelligent young man with a
clear, olive oil com plexion, and when left him
L wrung out his hand for him and gave him
small piece of money which hope he will ex-
pend wisely.
l also conversed with the train boy. sometimes
coarsely and incorrectly called 1.-The peanutter."
He came into my special car TO afford me an oD-
portunity to speculate in box of choice figs and
an armful of paper-covered Dronouns, including
~" Thou" HE" Me 'She." and at" He
heaved a sigh when / spoke of the new law, and
sitting down beside me, he looked sadly in my
open, ingenious face while he rested nine
ten dollars worth of books on my knee.
Yes" he said, inserting a soiled thumb in the
corner of his eye in search of a cinder Sit is
Erie of financial depression People that pay
their fare bring their dinner. ride in the day
coach and sleep with their mouths open. They
buy nuihin. In fact. nobody travels now unless
il is a case of life and death. Then they take
hard boiled egg and blanket and borrow the
papers. And now l see some sardine from
Snaggsvile says that under the interstate-com-
merce law n peanutter really has no right to ride
free any than anybody else, not
being a railroad empoye. | am tired of it.
can SIT here and my figs grow old on my
hands. Just look at the lines of care on that
box of figs! Two weeks ago had to take all
EN- for what could get. You noticed didn't.
60 through the cars to-day putting a fresh pecan
meat in erybody's lapl That's because can't
afford il. The injustice and clean-cut cussed-
ness of this law is invading every home.
and desolating svery hearthstone in the land
Lemme sell you The Girl Detectives or Hunted
to Halifax and Back Again Without Feed
Water, by the author of Only Dark Blue
Pill"
Then the train conductor came along, dreamilv
punched my ticket. and asked me if I wanted
dinner at Buffalo. l said did
Then there two Of you to dine there to-
day" he said, '.for there is another man in the
next to the last sleeper who will join you in the
dining halL Generally we have six tables full
on this train for the eatine house at Buffalo.
To-day there are two men on the whole train
who will dine there. and there is profit in
either of them, for the other man is even more
gaunt than you are"
ITO what do you attribute all ths2" asked in
q quiet, grammatical manner, which put him at
once at his ease.
''Oh. it is the new announcement commerce
law. Go into the dining-room at Buffalo and
you will about twenty walters cooks and
clerks, and two guests at the table, counting
yourself. while no doubt an old gentlemen will
take 'stand-up' at the lunch counter con-
sisting of a cup of coffee, for which he
pays 10 cents. and doughnut, which he brings
from home in his pocket and which has little
fakes of smoking tobacco It An eating
house from the West rode through here,
yesterday. on an old. and tottering scalpers
ticket, and he said that within thirty days he
had been compelled to mortgage his house TO the
head COOK, and the bar keeper had a chattel
on the billiard table and fixtures. He
claimed that the life of an eating house man was
an thing but happy any now, and now it was a
great big wicked word.
Formerly" he said, "people came and ate,
kicked about the price, and went away Now
but utA what do yda mink is going to be the ul
innate effect of this 1aw2' / asked, in an elocu-
tionary tone of voice.
''Why, don't believe that in a year from now |
hero will be enough of il left to wad a gun. |
Gus to the railroads it ought to be big thing |
Tor the people. but that is not always the case.
And look at the Inconsistency of the thing. |
ears ago Congress gave big grants to the rail-
'oads to build heir lines into new and undevel-
1ped territory West. Now the West has got to |
move East and grow up with the country"
do not know exactly what course to pursue,
but there will be a meeting for the purpose Of |
akinG some definite action in the matter here in
Sew York this week. The meeting will be |
argely attended by the railway eating house
men, the theatrical and travelling men. the sleep
Bril- Nyr